The playboy county magistrate

"These funds, as the initial capital for transforming Fuyu County, will not cause the entire county to bear any debt."

The people in the room finally snapped out of their shock, but their eyes remained fixed on the mountain of silver ingots and banknotes piled on the table.

The retired Zhao Lao swallowed hard and quietly wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve.

Having served in Fuyu County for most of my life, I've rarely seen so much cash, let alone whole ingots of silver.

Old Zhao stepped forward slowly, his fingertips hovering above the silver ingot, hesitant to touch it.

"Lord Li, this huge sum of money... is it really possible that the county government will not bear even the slightest indebtedness?"

"Not a penny will be required, but I have one condition."

Li Xuanzhi picked up the coarse pottery cool tea, took a sip, and lightly tapped the silver coins on the table with his fingertips.

Old Zhao waved his hands excitedly, "As long as Lord Li does something good for the people, we will agree to any conditions, let alone one, or even a hundred."

Li Xuanzhi smiled and waved his hand.

He's not a philanthropist, so he must have his own reasons for doing this.

"It would be best if you all listened to this, so as not to cause other problems later, which would affect the development of Fuyu County and the trust and relationship between us."

"Consider this money an investment in Fuyu County. If it makes a profit in the future, I want 30% of the profit. Of the remaining 70%, 50% will be used for the construction and operation of Fuyu County, 10% will be used to stockpile basic supplies such as grain and herbs, and 10% will be used for charity to help the elderly living alone and orphans and destitute children."

No one had any objection to this statement, nor did they feel that Li Xuanzhi was making a fortune off the common people.

If Li Xuanzhi hadn't been willing to invest so much money, who knows what would have become of Fuyu County? He put in the money and effort; what's wrong with taking a little profit?

Businesses need to see a return on their investment before they can continue. Just throwing money away without expecting a return is like a pie falling from the sky; who can know if it's laced with poison?

Having everything laid out in advance, and clearly explaining what is desired and what is possible, actually makes people feel more at ease.

Besides, he didn't take all the money he earned; Magistrate Li only took his rightful share. Even if he took 50%, let alone 30%, it would be fair.

Li Xuanzhi never expected things to go so smoothly.

If that's the case—

"Since everyone agrees, let's finalize the various matters concerning land reclamation and industrial development throughout the county."

"The county government's treasury is empty, and even the copper coins for purchasing writing materials have to be carefully calculated. Miss Gu, from now on, you will personally register and record all incoming and outgoing silver, and publish the daily expenditure details to ensure transparency and allow the people to inspect them at any time."

Gu Pan'er's eyes sparkled. She had never even heard of such a frank county magistrate, let alone seen one.

Magistrate Li is indeed the best man in the world!

Gu Pan'er quickly stood up and curtsied, saying, "This humble woman obeys your command and will not make any mistakes."

Li Xuanzhi smiled and gestured for her to sit down, then continued:

"You must remember everything I say next, every single account. The first one is to set aside 20,000 taels of silver and use it all to improve the land."

Everyone gasped in shock.

The poor condition of the land in Fuyu County is a common understanding among all the people of Fuyu County.

Land reclamation? It's a bottomless pit that eats up money!

"My lord! You mustn't! This silver may seem like a lot, but the land in our Fuyu County is just too poor. No amount of money can cover the deficit."

Li Xuanzhi's face hardened instantly, becoming serious.

No one dared to breathe loudly, for fear of being reprimanded by the county magistrate.

"I have already secretly asked someone to inquire with the official in charge of agriculture at the Ministry of Works, and even sent a bag of soil back for analysis. It is normal that you are not good at agriculture and do not understand these things. This is the reply from the Ministry of Works; you can see for yourselves."

Li Xuanzhi gestured to Wang Bo to circulate the letter to everyone, his expression utterly indifferent.

Although Uncle Wang readily agreed, he was actually quite uneasy inside.

This isn't some official reply from the Ministry of Works in charge of agriculture! It's clearly a strange charcoal pencil that our second young master invented sometime ago, written with his left hand.

Those who can become officials must be literate, and upon seeing the appalling handwriting, everyone's lips twitched violently.

Li Xuanzhi's excuse was also perfect: "Not all officials are from the proper imperial examination system. For example, skilled craftsmen, carpenters, potters, bricklayers, etc., good farmers, experienced peasants, etc., are already quite good if they can write."

After thinking about it, everyone realized that this made sense.

Looking at the contents written on it, it mentioned things like acidity and alkalinity, and saline-alkaline soil. There were also formulas for improving soil composition, etc. It seemed quite plausible.

It's unclear whether this stemmed from complete trust in officials skilled in this area, or complete trust in Li Xuanzhi.

In short, the letter that Li Xuanzhi "forged" with his left hand passed through smoothly and effortlessly.

Uncle Wang was shocked. His second young master had been a playboy in the capital for more than ten years, which was a waste of his talents!

Li Xuanzhi smiled and said, "Village head, divide the area into zones and make reasonable personnel arrangements. I'll leave the task of leveling the wasteland to you."

"Magistrate Cao, you will personally handle the matter of purchasing farmyard manure, rapeseed, and grain seeds. Your wife will then have to do the work of distributing the seeds to each household. In addition, the farmers who reclaim land for cultivation will be paid daily wages, with those who work harder receiving more."

The village head slapped his thigh suddenly, his face beaming.

"Is your statement true, sir? If there is payment, all the able-bodied men in the county are available at a moment's notice!"

County Magistrate Cao nodded vigorously, looking extremely excited.

Now that Magistrate Cao had something to do, County Lieutenant Feng couldn't sit still.

"Sir, what about me? What about me? Give me something to do!"

Li Xuanzhi smiled and waved to County Magistrate Feng, "Don't worry, everyone has something to do. Take it one at a time."

County Magistrate Feng straightened his back and stared intently at Li Xuanzhi.

"As the saying goes, water is the source of life. You may not starve for a few days, but you will definitely die of thirst for a few days. This second sum of money will be allocated to 25,000 taels for water conservancy projects."

Everyone looked at Li Xuanzhi with confusion once again.

It's just digging a well, does it really cost that much money?

Li Xuanzhi could tell from their reaction that he knew what they were thinking.

"The saltwater in the lake outside the city is undrinkable, so we'll dig deep wells and dig ditches to bring water to the settlements. This will completely solve the drinking water problem for people and livestock. Moreover, we not only face drought, but also the risk of flooding. Therefore, simply digging wells is far from enough; we also need to prepare large reservoirs to release floodwaters during flood seasons and store water during periods of insufficient rainfall."

"County Commandant Feng, this matter is entrusted to you to lead the able-bodied men in carrying out the construction in sections. Divide the area into zones, set deadlines, and ensure that the work is completed before winter arrives."

County Magistrate Feng straightened his back even more, patted his chest, and replied, "This subordinate guarantees to keep a close eye on things, absolutely no cutting corners, and absolutely no delays!"